HR: Build-A-Bear and Child Labor

According to several sources, the U.S. Department of Labor fined Build-A-Bear Workshops $25,600 for violating child labor laws. It was determined that children under 18 operated trash compactors and freight elevators.

The result: Build-A-Bear has instituted a policy that no longer hires anyone under 18. Great "unintended consequence" for teens who need jobs in today's labor market.

Comment: I cannot even begin to list the many things I did between ages 16 and 18 working in a retail environment. Among other things, I operated a trash compactor regularly, I climbed onto 15-20 foot high shelves and stacks of cartons, I operated a pallet jack. And I may have been after I turned 18 but I know I also spend one summer working for a wholesaler and spent major parts of the day working among six different floors and maneuvering stock on a freight elevator. Got me through college and off to a career... (Oh, I forgot to mention how often I used a "box cutter" each and every day).

But there's another part of this that actually irritates me more -- these supposed "safety" guidelines do not apply to some small businesses, nor to farms. I've worked (although briefly) on a farm, long before I was even 16 -- the work I did was potentially very dangerous, especially when I drove that tractor through a fence.

Is there any hope for regaining common sense in our labor regulations? I'm not very hopeful!